Early Autumn. The house of Lestrange family, Prague, 1998.
Time passed quickly and without any incidents. It seemed that Bellatrix didn't have a plan of acting or it was a too good plan, which had to be felt later. However Draco and Hermione were together on their way to discover the truth.
It was a beautiful, sunny day of autumn, September 19, Hermione's 19th anniversary. Draco and Hermione decided to go to Prague to celebrate her birthday together with Mr Lestrange. The two wizards entered the old house of Hermione's dark childhood and could find Mr Lestrange sitting alone on a chair with a bottle of alcohol in his arms. Hermione's heart broke.
"Father, are you OK?!", she asked.
Rodolphus Lestrange raised his head and looked at Hermione with his eyes full of loneliness and pain. He was drunk and his glance seemed to be strange as if he saw a ghost. A pretty beautiful ghost.
"Eleanor?! Eleanor, I missed you so much!", he said.
Draco and Hermione were looking at him with astonishment and then they looked at each other.
"I think he is delirious because of this alcohol.", said Draco taking the bottle in his hands.
Draco and Hermione put Mr Lestrange on the bed in his bedroom and left him sleeping there.
"I think he needs to sleep enough to fell better.", said Hermione with sorrow in her eyes. She came from London on her birthday to celebrate it with her father and discovered him alone and drunk. That reminded Hermione about her state of an unhappy child. That she was, that she remained.
"Don't worry, it's your birthday! I have a present for you!", said Draco and Hermione smiled.
"Close your eyes.", he said and Hermione closed her eyes.
"Happy Birthday, Hermione!", said Draco putting a ring of a rare beauty on Hermione's finger, "You can now open your eyes! Consider it a proof of being my chosen, of course if only you agree!", said Draco smiling.
Hermione opened her eyes and looking at the ring exclaimed:"Of course I agree! I love you so much, Draco, thank you a lot!".
"As long as you wear this ring you are considered the bride of the Malfoy family. My mother also wore it before her wedding with my father and then she gave it to me to offer it to my future wife. You'll give it to our son then.", said Draco with smile on his face.
Hermione looked down with shame saying:"I think it's too early to speak about this…".
Draco lifted Hermione's chin with his hand and kissed her. They had each other and that was what really mattered.
Nearly in the evening Rodolphus Lestrange woke up and he could find in the kitchen of his house two young wizards. He didn't recognize his daughter until she turned her face to him.
"Hermione?! What are doing here?", asked Mr Lestrange.
"Dad, I'm glad to see you!", replied Hermione and hugged him, "Me and Draco came from London to celebrate my birthday with you!".
It was his beloved Hermione's birthday, but in his heart it was also her mother's death anniversary. Eleanor was 19 when she died giving birth to a girl who was a copy of hers. At her 19, Hermione was looking exactly like her mother at the same age.
"Happy Birthday, Hermione!", said Mr Lestrange through pain.
"Thanks, dad! Come here with us, I'll pour a cup of tea for you.", said Hermione and hurried to take a cup from the old cupboard.
"Oh, I forgot to present you Draco.", said Hermione as she was pouring the tea in the little cup.
"I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy!", said Draco stretching out his hand for a handshake.
"My nephew… Glad to see you!", said Mr Lestrange shaking Draco's hand.
"How are you here? I see, you have a new friend?", said Hermione pointing on the bottle of alcohol.
"I'm just disperate…".
"But this is not the solution!".
"Hermione, please, let's talk about something else!", said Mr Lestrange with sorrow in his voice.
"Ok, then tell me who is Eleanor… You called me by her name when we came and found you drunk.", replied Hermione.
Mr Lestrange looked at Hermione with a kind of fear. His daughter was now a presence of Eleanor and he probably confounded her with her mother being drunk.
"I can't, please don't ask me about this!".
"But why? It's the woman on the photo in your cabinet? She resembles me very much! She is my real mother, isn't she?!", asked Hermione with hope.
"Hermione, I can't, I can't tell you…", said her father shaking his head, "Hermione, please go away! Go back to London! I can't…", he said and withdrew in his cabinet.
Draco and Hermione remained shocked and confused looking at each other.
Mr Lestrange sat on the floor with the photo of his beloved Eleanor in his hands.
"I can't tell her that you are her mother! I can't…".
Memories overwhelmed the suffering wizard.
Winter. The house of Lestrange family, Prague, 1980.
A little baby-girl was sleeping cuddled in her little bed. In the next room, two wizards were clasping their right hands saying something that seemed to be oaths.
"Will you, Rodolphus, keep in secret the name of your daughter's mother?".
"I will."
"Will you avoid telling your daughter or someone else about her no matter of circumstances?".
"I will."
Each time Rodolphus accepted a term, a stream of fire was emitted from a third wizard's wand held close to their hands.
When the Unbreakable vow was completed, Bellatrix said looking deeply in her husband's eyes:"Both of us will die if you'll tell someone about this! Remember!".
Mr Lestrange fell asleep pressing Eleanor's photo tight to his chest. Draco and Hermione left Prague that evening.
"It's painful to lose,
It's deadly losing twice,
It hurts having to choose:
To be alive or wise…"